


Back Up ... of a Sort

by TLvop



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Character of Color, Day Off, Families of Choice, Family, Female-Centric, Friendship, Gen, Ice Cream, Misses Clause Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:38:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TLvop/pseuds/TLvop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their day off, May goes off on her own. Skye follows.</p><p>--<br/>Spoilers through Episode 7, <i>The Hub</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back Up ... of a Sort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [havocthecat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/havocthecat/gifts).



> From your yule-author! :) I hope you like it!
> 
> Thank you so much to Tuesday, slayer of stray commas, for the beta-ing.

The Bus is grounded for two days. Something about "maintenance" and "safety protocol." 

They're in Texas, because of _reasons_ ("Stop asking, Skye"), and the wi-fi is shitty, and the motel is only slightly less shitty. She was all relieved at first when she was roomed with Simmons instead of May, but she never realized how much Simmons _talked_ before trying to go to sleep with her in the same room. May, for all she might be the most terrifying person Skye's met, never talks!

Well. Sometimes May talks.

Skye is chewing on a slightly old cherry -- well, "cherry," but the only other option is some form of alien cheese -- Danish, clicking through websites -- okay, you caught her, clicking through Facebook -- in the motel common room when the conversation at the other table gets interesting.

"Neither Marshall nor Evans can make it," Agent May says in the quiet serious-business tone with which she says most things. "And I want to go."

A.C. sighs and, after a long pause, nods. "We're going to need you for flight checks in ten hours," he says, and Skye freezes for a moment when he glances in her direction. He doesn't keep looking at her, though, so she relaxes.

"It's only 45 minutes travel," May says. "I'll be back in time."

Coulson makes eye contact with her and nods. "Stay out of trouble."

May snorts, gathers her bag, and stands. "You first."

Skye watches her leave out the front door, waits for a tense five minutes, then packs up her laptop and heads to Fitz's room.

Thankfully, she doesn't run into Ward. He's probably exercising. They exercised for like three hours this morning before he pulled his rare "I'm a human being" card and gave her the rest of the day off.

Fitz opens the door, blinks at the light in the hallway, then lets her in. Simmons isn't in here, somewhat to Skye's surprise.

"She's exploring the great outdoors," Fitz tells her before she can ask. He sits in the chair next to his desk (and he, at least, has a real internet set-up. She wonders, really, if where her room is isn't some secret plot against her), and sneezes into a tissue box. The cold scored him his own set-up, so Skye doesn't feel that bad for him. "Ugh."

"Do you know where May's going?" Skye takes the open seat, crossing her legs as she leans back. This chair is even cooler than her motel room’s. _Unfair_.

"No, but I can." Fitz turns to the console, pulling up the GPS systems of the cars they're using. "Some park, why?"

Mouth flattening, Skye says, "I think she might need back-up." Or might be up to something shady; either way, she wants to know -- or help.

Fitz turns back to her, eyebrows raising. "Does Coulson know?" 

"Coulson didn't want her to go," Skye says. "Just give me the address, and I'll track her down. It's probably nothing big. You keep Simmons out of trouble and try not to die."

"I've got more field experience than you." Fitz sounds almost affronted.

"And your best friend has a tendency to shoot people she shouldn't," Skye replies. Fitz tilts his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Address? Thanks."

\--

It's easy enough getting to the park. Slow, but easy enough: two bus transfers, and two-point-five hours.

She might have to rely on May giving her a ride back, so they don't take off without her.

The park is harder to navigate. It's only medium-sized, but there's a bunch of people there for what looks like a family reunion and also for some sort of little girls' soccer game. Skye's walking the perimeter when she spots May on the side of one of the bleachers, elbows on her knees as she watches the game.

Skye follows her gaze to the field, where she can't see anything happening that might get May's attention. The Daisies score, and the bleachers May is on erupt into cheers. Skye's pretty sure May's even smiling.

Huh.

Maybe she's here to make a drop after the game. Maybe she's already made the drop. Skye rests against a tree and watches the rest of the game unfold.

When the game ends (the Daisies lose by one) and the kids have stopped high-fiving their opponents, May walks out onto the field. A girl in a Daisies uniform runs up to her and practically jumps into her arms. May swings her around, the little girl's ponytail streaming behind her, and balances her on her hip even though the – six-year old? – is tall enough to wrap her legs around May's waist.

She talks to the girl--May's daughter? Does May even have a daughter? How old is May, anyway?--laughing at something she says. Skye feels kind of sick, and kind of sad, and mostly really confused. She's never seen Agent May like this. She's known for weeks that she's a real person with real person feelings--she can remember Agent May's hand on her back while leading her away from Simmons during the scary electro-virus, and the way she looked at Fitz and Ward for a good day after they rescued them from SHIELD– but it's like she's a _normal_ real person.

May sets the girl down, and sends her off to run to a group of girls. She turns towards Skye.

Skye hugs herself slightly as May approaches. May isn't happy, and Skye knows she doesn't belong here.

May stops in front of her, and Skye blinks really fast to keep her eyes clear.

May raises her chin.

"I thought you might need back-up," Skye says desperately. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize –" She cuts off, because she doesn't want to say what she didn't realize. That May had a family? That's not exactly complimentary.

May's face does something, but Skye can't read it. "How'd you get here?"

"City bus," Skye says. "It took me two and a half hours." She breathes. "I was hoping I could get a ride back, but— I can … leave you alone."

May snorts, shaking her head. She glances back across the field, and Skye follows her gaze to the table the little girl is sitting at, chatting with her friends.

"I'm taking her out to ice cream," May says. "She's my god-daughter and she doesn't know what I do. You're my assistant, Shelly. Okay?"

"Okay?" Skye repeats, not quite catching on.

"Janine!" May calls across the field, waving. The little girl looks up and leaps to her feet, running towards them. "Well," May says, setting a hand on Skye's shoulder for a moment. "Are you going to come or not?"

She lets go before snagging her god-daughter by the hand. 

"Okay," Skye repeats again.

Agent Melinda May, aka The Cavalry, aka The Person Even Ward Is in Awe Of, _smiles_ at her. And lets Skye come and have ice cream. With her family.

Skye somehow manages not to cry. Mostly by eating three scoops of chocolate fudge, with extra caramel sauce.

"Hey," she says, on the ride home. "If you ever need ice cream back up, you know I'm good for it, right?"

May glances at her for a moment. Skye is pretty sure that means they have an understanding.

**Author's Note:**

> Dear havocthecat-- I hope you have the loveliest of yuletides, filled with hot beverages of your choice (or cold, if you are in the Southern hemisphere), oodles of awesome fic, and a good internet connection :).
> 
> I feel like I should clarify, re: tags. Skye and May are both women of color. That has no real relevance to the story (though I think it somewhat adds to why Skye feels like May _should_ be closer to her than she is/is stung by their relationship's coolness), but fandom has a tendency to whitewash Chloe Bennet and I don't want to implicitly take part in that.


End file.
